Antioxidant, Anti-Damage

Antioxidants seem to be popping up everywhere. Now, they are not only in our fruit, but also our chocolate, wine...and skincare? If you are still not quite sure how and why you should be using this skincare essential, let us introduce you to the basics.

To the Rescue

Topical antioxidants, when applied to the skin, absorb (and are thus destroyed by) free radicals in the skin before they can cause damage to DNA and collagen. All organs are exposed to these free radicals, but the skin has an extra source - UVA rays. You may be thinking "My sunscreen protects against UVA rays, so I must be safe from these free radicals." Unfortunately, no sunscreen is 100% effective; there are still some UVA rays getting to your skin. This is why antioxidants are so crucial for skincare. They act as a safety net by absorbing and destroying the free radicals that get around your (daily!) sunscreen application.

Sleep On It

Believe it or not, even though antioxidants are an essential sun protection step, they should be applied at night. This is because antioxidants need time to absorb into the skin cells so they can reach the free radicals and destroy them. If antioxidants are applied during the day, they absorb the energy from UVA rays and are destroyed before they can get into the cells. At night, the antioxidants have time to sink in, as there are no UVA rays present. Our favorite forms of antioxidants are Vitamin C based because not only do they offer better protection, but they also help combat extra brown pigmentation.